CHADRA

Next Edition Copy Date – 29th September 2015

If you would like to write an article for the next issue, or make comments on articles published, please e-mail these to xxxx @ gmail.com

For a copy of CHADRA's editorial guidelines, please contact and CHADRA team member or download PDF from The Charfield Community Website at http://charfield.org/chadra/

IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR COPY OF CHADRA DELIVERED TO YOUR DOOR PLEASE CONTACT MARION SMITH FROM THE ABOVE CONTACT PHONE NUMBER LIST

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I believe that by now most people will have heard the results of our major sites planning appeals which did not go the way that we would have wished. So what does this mean for us?

The application for up to 106 houses on land south of Wotton Road was refused by the Council for the reasons that this was outside the Charfield settlement boundary and would have been development in the open countryside which would also not be sustainable with the local infrastructure. At the subsequent appeal inquiry in January, despite all other policies, this came down to the fact that if the local authority could prove it had a five year land supply for housing and for the appellant to disprove this. The Planning Inspectorate found in favour of the appellant that the local authority did NOT have a five year land supply for housing. There are differing systems for calculating this figure and much of this came down to the fact that where the local planning authority had given consents for developments, many of these were still awaiting delivery by the house builders, resulting in the Council not meeting the agreed number of houses per year.

I have waited as long as possible to produce this report to give residents the most up to date information. The Council have six weeks to challenge the decision by the Planning Inspector. The information that I received this week was that the Council were still reviewing the decision with the aid of the QC. Whilst the final decision has not been made, I feel that we have to accept that this development will probably come.

The real outcome is that this would now make us vulnerable to further applications from speculative developers. The Parish Council is now considering a Neighbourhood Plan similar to the village plan but dealing with housing and development. This would be helpful and is a useful planning tool but could not be used to prevent development.

A positive outcome from the development is that according to the agreements made, the developer must provide funding to the community to offset the impact that the development will have on the village. Included in these agreements will be monies for sport, the Memorial Hall and a new pedestrian crossing at the Wotton Road/Longs View walkway. The crossing will be secured by what is known as a ‘Grampian condition’. As the name suggests, this condition originated in Scotland and is now widely used, meaning that the infrastructure is in place before the development commences.

The other major sites appeal for the proposed development next to the school (which was also allowed by the Planning Inspectorate) was the subject of a legal challenge by the Council and was dismissed by the High Court. When the Secretary of State and the appellant failed to oppose the challenge, this was then referred back to the Planning Inspectorate and we are waiting to hear from them. Ironically, even if this appeal is dismissed and even if the other result stands, they will probably submit a further application.

I regret that this is not good news and clearly the Localism Act stands for little when developers can walk over it and local interests are ignored. We will continue to oppose major developments in Charfield with whatever means available. If there is any further news I will ensure it is placed on the Charfield websites.

John O'Neill

Having trained consistently for the triathlon, I entered it with a sense of excitement. I was encouraged by many others and completed it in a time that I was thrilled with, gaining a personal best on the bike leg!

The reward of crossing the finish line made me dance with joy! Also, being able to cheer on other competitors was immense fun. It was a fantastic event, organised by Gideon York and a team of volunteers. My thanks to them all.

[Graphic: Cyclist] So, who would like to join me next year?!

Sarah Wilcox

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[Graphic: House] Why did Gladman Developments win their appeal and get outline planning permission for up to 106 houses on land south of Wotton Road (Access House and the field called Horseford)? People who went to the long public inquiry will know that South Gloucestershire Council, Charfield Parish Council and local residents put up a strong fight against the development, so what went wrong?

South Gloucestershire Council had three main points of objection, which I simplify as: Charfield is not a sustainable location for development; in accordance with Government policy and the approved plan for South Gloucestershire (the ‘Core Strategy’), land is available for a sufficient number of houses to be built in five years close to existing towns; and money would be needed to fund the infrastructure and services required as a result of the development. Gladman responded: yes it is; no there isn't; and we'll give you the money. The Parish Council and residents concentrated on local issues including flooding, the environmental effects of development and the lack of facilities to support large scale development at Charfield.

In her decision letter, the Planning Inspector examines national and local policies in detail. She then considers in 33 paragraphs whether the development would be sustainable. She concludes that, although the development would involve a degree of reliance on the use of cars, there are alternative modes of transport and the number of jobs within a short distance would mean that journeys by car would not necessarily be lengthy. She says that Charfield benefits from a reasonable range of services and the development would be economically, environmentally and socially sustainable.

The Inspector examines the vast amount of evidence on South Gloucestershire's housing land supply and, to cut a very long story short, finds that the supply amounts to 4.64 years instead of the required minimum 5 years. The consequences are that certain policies of the Core Strategy are out of date, the development would contribute to closing the gap in land supply and, therefore, the national policy of a presumption in favour of sustainable development applies. She finds the developer's proposed financial contributions to be acceptable. She briefly considers the matters raised by residents and discounts them. She even says that the development would “contribute towards some of the aspirations identified within the Village Plan”. Her final conclusion is that “the loss of countryside would not significantly and demonstrably outweigh the considerable benefits of the proposal”.

So, what happens next? Gladman Developments are not builders. They go around the country getting planning permissions so that land can be sold to the highest bidder for vastly more than the agricultural land value. Because this is an outline permission, the builder will have to submit details of the development to South Gloucestershire Council within three years for approval. Development must start within five years. A builder may put in a planning application for something that would make more money, knowing that there is this fall-back permission. A builder might also defer construction for as long as possible. In that way, the supply of housing is artificially restricted and developers can get a bank of sites with permission. They can develop the sites when the market and their resources enable them to make the biggest profit. The one almost certain thing is that the site will be developed at some time in the next few years.

On the other main site in Charfield, the field called Day House Leaze near the school, another inspector granted permission for 31 residential units and a 60-bed dementia care home. South Gloucestershire challenged this decision in the High Court on a number of grounds. The Government has conceded that there was an omission in the Inspector's decision letter and agreed that the decision be quashed. That means that the appeal must be considered again by an inspector. The Planning Inspectorate will decide what the procedure will be. Of course, the decision on the Gladman appeal will be a new matter to be taken into account, as it will be for any fresh applications for housing developments 5around the village. It is likely that landowners and developers will be dusting off their proposals.

So what has gone wrong, if anything? South Gloucestershire Council produced a Core Strategy and it was approved. They had identified enough land for the required number of houses, but that was then. The need for housing and the land available for housing within five years do not remain constant. Maybe South Gloucestershire did not move fast enough to keep up, or maybe the development industry out-manoeuvred everyone. The Core Strategy's approved principle of locating housing near main centres has been trumped by national policy to allow almost any sustainable development. We all failed to convince inspectors that Charfield is not a sustainable location for major housing development. Now we have to make sure that the expansion of the village is properly planned.

John Acton

[Graphic: No parking sign]

I love to read our local CHADRA newsletter. It is a great resource for our community and provides an interesting viewpoint from contributors. I find lately though that it has started to have an undercurrent of negativity through a number of articles.

I am a huge advocate for road safety. I have through the years been involved with Charfield School as a governor, parent, and through the ‘Walk to School’ initiative which aims to educate the children and parents and encourage safer parking, walking routes etc. I am also realistic. Whilst the recent CHADRA article ‘Park Politely and Adhere to the Highway Code’ was informative and accurate, it did spend a lot of time pointing out the flaws in our village. i.e. not enough parking for the homes.

It is probable that the majority of our homes in the village will have at least 3 cars parked there at some point in a family's life, and these cars will need to parked somewhere. I understand the need to re-inforce the safety of parking and where to do this, but I feel that it will fall on deaf ears if a solution to the problem is not offered. Pointing out the obvious is not always enough.

So what can we do? If, as the article says, you park on the road and parking outside your home is a potential issue, then you should look for a piece of road where your vehicle is safer and less of a hazard. This may not be directly outside your property but as safety is the issue, the walk could do you some good. There are a number of lay-bys in the village and these are not allocated to any specific property, so these can be an option for safe parking too. The Memorial Hall car park is not an option as we have heard in previous parking articles, so maybe another site could be found for overflow parking? Maybe the Parish Council need to get involved and provide small grants to homeowners who live in the areas of concern to drop kerbs and make the frontages of homes into extra parking or instigate a driveway share scheme?

To conclude, what I am trying to say is, that things are never black and white. We suffer with ‘not in my back yard syndrome’ a lot here and I think as a community we need to start to be part of the solution before judging peoples choices and the problems. I would welcome articles like the above mentioned in the future as long as solutions were offered alongside them.

People need their cars in a village like ours with poor public transport, so we need spaces to park them safely. Think about how this can be done to bring about a solution and just remember how you might feel if people started to park outside your property because the road negates it as a safer option.

Thanks for listening.

Debbie on the fence, waiting for solutions!

Debbie Riddle

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This time around I'd like to mention an initiative that is beginning in South Gloucestershire, which ties in nicely with an ongoing village project, and which may become a critical matter for the nation's food supply in future years. On 15th June, I attended a presentation at the council offices on pollinating insects and a new initiative running across Bristol and South Gloucestershire (linked to national strategies), to address the crisis in the populations of our pollinating insects. The term ‘pollenating insects’ implies a wider catchment than simply bees and includes hoverflies, beetles, butterflies and many other insects. Without them, our flowers and our fruit crops will inevitably decline, and decline is exactly what the populations of many of our pollinators have been doing for some years.

The initiatives are called ‘The Pollinator Strategy for Greater Bristol’, and ‘Get Bristol Buzzing’, and while we don't live in Bristol, it is close enough that we are included and South Gloucestershire Council are party to it. At the workshop, we were shown a fun explanatory video that you can see at www.getbristolbuzzing.org, which clearly tells you what is happening and why, and what we can do about it. We were also given a talk from a member of ‘Buglife’ www.buglife.org.uk, who offered more ways to help our pollinators help us. Much of the ‘what we can do’ is of course planting insect friendly plants, but there is a five step plan and that's only one of the steps. The others include leaving patches of land to grow wild, reducing or simply stopping the use of pesticides, mowing the grass less and letting it flower and seed (at least in places), and constructing bee homes and placing them your gardens, and around your locality.

The real big issue of our times in this context is the ‘allowing to grow wild’. Nobody likes a mess, and for many people wilderness is precisely that – a mess. South Gloucestershire are already trialling less frequent cuts and timing their cuts to allow seed heads to form and fall, but this has provoked calls and complaints (and as we all know, the squeaky wheel gets the oil). You'll know that at our own burial ground we've given half the site over to wildflowers and grasses – and yes, we've had comments about weeds … The wildflower seeding has been a learning curve and we're continuing to work it out, but there are some excellent nectar bearing plants in there.

CUGUC have been making very obvious improvements to the village over the past couple of years, and I spent a happy half hour photographing bees in the poppy patch at the end of Little Bristol Lane the other week. My personal gardener has been planting for the bees for years and we even had humming bird moths over the beds this week. I know we're not alone, and if I was to suggest Charfield tries even harder to be a bee friendly, insect attracting, bug feeding village I'm sure some of you would join in. Perhaps your kids would enjoy making bug hotels and watching the guests move in. Perhaps a patch of land at the end of the garden can go a bit wilder or be sewn with wildflowers.

I know there is more Charfield can do. On a wider scale, your Parish Council would like to establish allotments (if we could find and afford the land) and initiate a village orchard (if we could … yeah, you know). Let us know how you want us to proceed. We could do more in the parish but at the same time our resources are scarce enough and we don't want to overload either ourselves or our community. I hope this is a useful article – thanks for bearing with me.

I'm not able to tell you much more about the two developments than is already out there – the Charfield Green Public Inquiry went against us (up to 106 houses) and the Day House Leaze High Court judgement (31 houses and 60 bed care home) has yet to be made / publicised.

I'd like to mention that we still have three spaces on the Parish Council, and if you ever thought of being more involved in your community you can contact either me or Hannah and have a no obligation chat. Or come along to a Council meeting (second Tuesday each month barring August) and see what goes on. Whether you'd like to become a Councillor or not, you'd be very welcome. Have a great summer.

Mark Rosher – Chairman Parish Council

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Open Gardens
[Graphic: Garden] I hope you were one of the many people who enjoyed the Village Garden Trail held on 21st June. We were overwhelmed by the support of so many people from the village and from much further afield. We do have an embarrassment of riches in the number of quality gardens in the village that are worth a visit. There are a real assortment of sizes and style and will have provided a real inspiration for budding gardeners. Feedback shows that visitors really enjoyed the event – it was an opportunity to socialise with neighbours, discover parts of Charfield many hadn't ever visited, have a fabulous cream tea, shop for plants and see how CUGUC is doing. We enjoyed it and many thanks for the lovely compliments, support and encouragement we got that day. It was our main fund-raising event and we raised over £800. A big thanks to all the owners of gardens who agreed to open.

Little Bristol Lane Corner
Just one word – poppies! Haven't they looked fabulous? Slightly over-powering our permanent planting and summer annuals, but who cares? We'll keep this display going for the next few years to continue the commemoration of the 1st World War.

Viewpoint & Bank
We have almost finished the first major clear up of the viewpoint and the bank on the east side of Charfield Hill. We have also started the simple planting we have planned around the viewpoint itself and hopefully in late July there will be a further facelift there so keep your eyes open for these changes!

Roundabout Verges
We were very lucky to get a donation of three huge bags of topsoil from Soils HS Limited which has been scattered over the roundabout verges to make them more even and hopefully easier for our amazing volunteer to mow. Sadly his old mower died although he very kindly said that the roundabout did not kill it off! Now armed with a new mower the grass again is looking very smart. The moon daisies which we planted along the old wall have been blooming for a few weeks now and look lovely.

Primary School Bed
This has been a fabulous display for months now. Many thanks to the CUGUC team and to the pupils who raised many of the plants that provided this bright display of colour. We will continue to work on the second half of the bed, which needs our attention. Help gratefully received!

Memorial Car Park
Last, but certainly not the least of our sites. The first stage of our planting has just been completed. It will take a little time for the plants to establish and bulk up, so it looks a bit bare, but certainly by next year there will be more of an idea of what it will look like. This site is like the Forth Bridge – you finish weeding and need to start again at the beginning so the team here are resilient souls!

Volunteers
We have seen a few more volunteers, which is great. They have come back for more so it must be enjoyable at some level. But more would be great so that we can get on with more projects. New volunteers don't have to have any horticultural expertise – there will always be somebody to show you what is needed. Most of our tasks up till now have just involved a lot of clearing, so muscle power was very useful! If you are interested, please contact one of the team – details below or on the back page. You can help for as little a time as you are able to. We do need some backroom admin help if gardening isn't your thing!

Find us on Facebook – just search for CUGUC. Let us know what you think of what we are doing. It would be great if you could ‘like’ us and post your comments there too. Don't forget to let us have your ideas, comments and donations.

Yvette Andrewartha
Chair CUGUC

www.charfieldparishcouncil.org.uk/####
email: xxxx @ gmail.com

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[Graphic: Gardener] No, this is not another article about Charfield expanding! It's about vegetable growing. At the end of my previous comments in the October 2013 edition of the CHADRA newsletter, I added a P.S. about looking for another plot of land as I had to leave the garden that I had used for nine seasons. I was very fortunate to be offered a plot in a long garden very near my home. In November and the first half of December, we had some good weather and I was able to make progress double digging the vegetable patch out of the rough lawn, including sieving out stones and roots of nettles and bindweed.

Weather conditions mean that every year brings failures and, hopefully, some successes. With a new garden, there is the added uncertainty about what the ground suits. In the event, things turned out very well. Summer cabbage, peas and beetroot were star turns. Runner beans produced an early picking and then went to sleep because of the poor August. I left them alone and was surprised that they flourished again in September. Rhubarb transplanted from my previous garden enjoyed the wet winter and, against the usual advice, I pulled quite a lot of it in its first year. That hasn't stopped it becoming rampant this year, so it likes the ground and open situation.

I'll confess to one failure: the butternut squash were a disappointment. I didn't give them much attention, they didn't like the poor August, and the plants did not all come true to variety. The last point is a problem that I have experienced before. I think that seed producers have difficulty in avoiding cross-pollination of squash varieties and you don't always get what you pay for.

Now I'm into the second season and it's clear how things are shaping up. The aphids are winning! The autumn sown broad beans fruited before the blackfly took over and we have had a massive crop. The spring sown broad beans have been sucked dry and we shall be lucky to get a picking. Strong wind damaged the climbing beans. Dry weather has adversely affected carrots (I don't water vegetables, except initially when I sow or plant out). But the cabbages and leeks are doing well, the potatoes look great and the pea pods are filling. As ever, you lose some and you win some.

John Acton

Did you, like me, enjoy the walking trail of Charfield gardens on Sunday June 21st? If so, I think you will agree with me that it was a real flower fest. Each garden had been lovingly tended and weeded to within an inch of its life ready for the grand occasion by the dedicated owners. The sun was shining throughout the afternoon. We saw beautiful front and back gardens with a colourful range of flowers and vegetables. There were plenty of ideas for us to take away for our own gardens, particularly the gorgeous borders with a glorious array of perennials such as foxgloves, alliums, scabious and roses. And if that wasn't enough we had the opportunity to buy the plants that we had seen to plant in our own gardens! Once we had seen all of the gardens we finished off at Warner's Court where we enjoyed a delicious cream tea.

We are so lucky here in Charfield to have such beautiful places to visit, and the money raised will go towards the CUGUC campaign and yet more planting around the village in public places. I wish to express my thanks to the intrepid CUGUC team members for all the wonderful work they have done so far. All this work is done by volunteers and they are looking for more help. Do you have a couple of hours to spare now and again to the join the working party? It's fun, you get refreshments and you get to keep fit in the process!

Please contact xxxx @ gmail.com or phone Isabel Davies on 0145426xxxx. No gardening experience is necessary, just the desire to make our little part of the world a glorious place to live. Come on Charfield! What are you waiting for?

Linda Felton

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The Life and Times of Mervyn Frederick Williams, (known as ‘Merv’),
82 years and a bit 1931 – 2013

Merv was a lifelong resident of Charfield and was one of seven brothers. He had no sisters, although his mother would have dearly loved a baby girl. As a boy he lived at xx Little Bristol and went to Charfield School. In those days there was no piped water in the village, or sewerage. The water came from pumps in the garden shared by several homes. How his mother managed, I'll never know. There was no gas either. Water was piped through the village in the 1950s and sewers were put in during the 1960s, and Bristol Lane had no bathrooms or flushing toilets until the water was put in.

Merv left school at 14 years of age to work as a labourer for Clifford and Dick Goscombe, who were builders and undertakers, and he worked on many of the houses in Charfield, including May Grove and the bungalows in New Street. He also dug graves in the local area. At the age of 18, Merv did two years of National Service. He did not enjoy this at all, but made the rank of Lance Corporal.

I was born at x Lisle Place in Wotton and I met Merv in Wotton High Street when he was 21 and I was 18. He used to ride his bike from Charfield to meet me in Wotton. He rode his bike everywhere, even in later life. We were married in December 1956 and raised three daughters; Teresa, Sheila and Alex at our home in New Street.

[Graphic: Watering can] In his leisure time, Merv played football for Charfield Village team and won several cups and medals until he broke his leg and he was forced to give up. He also took pride in his garden and spent many hours tending to it. His favourite flowers were wallflowers, sweet peas, fuchsias and hyacinths, which he tried to bloom before Christmas but never quite managed it. He used to brag about the sweet peas growing taller than him, as he was over 6ft tall!

Merv also liked to spend a few hours each week having a drink or two with his friends at the local pub.

After so many years he went to work for Shepherds in the mill buildings at the bottom of New Street, making oil tanks, and later for John Morgan Printing Presses. After being made redundant at 60 years old he went to work at Truturn Precision Engineering until he retired. During his working life he also learned how to drive a fork lift truck. At haymaking time he was in great demand by the local farmers. Hauling bales was very hard work and the hours were long, as the work had to be done when the weather was fine.

[Graphic Farmer and hay bales]

Where the Fews building is now, there used to be a cattle market with sheep and pigs as well. Merv would go there afterwards to clean the place up. I used to take my children there when they were too young to go to school.

At the age of 52, Merv had a heart attack whilst he was digging a grave at Charfield old church, so that put paid to the heavy work. He lived on another 30 years after, but the last few years were not too great after he had a double heart by-pass and eventually had a pacemaker fitted. However, he kept going right to the end and he loved to go on coach trips and holidays. He died peacefully in his sleep while we were on holiday in Minehead.

Surprisingly, the day of the funeral was a good day, with a lovely service at Westerleigh Crematorium. We have had a seat installed in his memory at Wotton Hill, where we used to go courting, and you can see for miles over Wotton and Charfield and beyond. We also have a seat installed near Charfield Village Hall, where anyone is welcome to rest. [Graphic: Bench seat]

Ethel Williams

10

I am writing this whilst watching the first day of Wimbledon and the sun is shining. Just love the summer!

Our wonderful Pre-School children have been so busy this year. Our rising fives went on a great trip to Tesco in Thornbury where they were shown around the store. They were all given the opportunity to sample some fruit and cheese and were taken to my favourite department – the bakery, where they were shown how to make cakes. The children were able to hold a fish from the fish counter & were given some goodies at the checkout donated by Tesco. The children visited the library in Thornbury where they collected their book bags and were shown how to choose books by using the self-service machines. All the children had a great time.

[Graphic: Tooth with brush] We had a visit from a dentist from Chipping Manor Dental practice in Wotton-Under-Edge who came and spoke to the children about how to brush their teeth and what to expect when you go to the dentist. The children were also shown examples of good and bad foods for your teeth. The children have also had a visit from our local community officer Sean McKinnon, who explained to the children all about road safety and the dangers of talking to strangers. We were also lucky to have a visit from Vale Vets who came to see us with two lovely dogs which the children were able to stroke. Thank you to all local visitors for their time.

The children have been busy working with Norma, our garden teacher, to plant and grow individual daffodils as Mothers' day presents. Norma has also worked with the children to grow cress heads, garlic, potatoes, carrots, spring onions, radishes, beetroots – all of which the children get to taste at snack time.

We had some great creations at Easter time when an Easter Bonnet parade was held in our lovely garden. Lucky for us the sun was shining. There were some amazing Easter bonnets. Thank you to Mr Lawday for sparing some time to come across to the Pre-School to judge a very tough ‘eggcellent’ competition.

We have a great fundraising committee and back in February we held a Frog Race Night and what a fabulous evening it was. It was so much fun! Thank you to everyone who came to support our event and a special thank you to two ladies, Karen Stainthorpe and Heather Stoakes who put together the frog night single-handedly. It was a great success and we raised an amazing £454 on the night.

As always, we rely heavily on fundraising and marketing the Pre-School in and out of the village … So why not join our Lottery Club? Enter our monthly prize draw and win a cash prize! This is a great way for grandparents, aunties, uncles and family friends to support the Pre-School every month … as the saying goes, “you have to be in it, to win it”!

Thank you to everyone who came to visit us at the Community Fete back in May. The bouncy castle was a great hit with all the Pre-School children. We were perfectly placed next to the ice cream van and the band. Some people kept coming back to the stall to see if they could cover the Queens face on a £5 note with their 50p to try and win money. I am pleased to say we had three winners, our first one being a 3 year old. So it can be done!

We have had some great successes this year with grant funds, one of which is paying for a new fort to go in the garden which will include binoculars and a telescope. Work will start on this during the summer holidays. Thank you to South Gloucestershire Council and the Parish Council for all the grants which have been gratefully received and to John O'Neill for his continued support.

Plans are already in place for our big fundraising events. Don't miss our annual Christmas Shopping Evening on Friday 27th November – keep your eyes peeled for posters around the village. [Graphic: Shopping]

Thank you
I would like to thank Sam Jones who is stepping down as Committee secretary. We are fortunate that Sam has taken on a paid admin role to help Debra, our Pre-School Manager. I would also like to thank some key committee members who will be leaving us in 11September. Our previous Chair Karen Stainthorpe has been involved with the Pre-School for a few years now and has been responsible for some great fundraising events. Thanks also to Vicky Jones, Sarah Gillender and Fiona Ball to name but a few. You have all been a great support to the pre-school I would like to say a huge thank you.

It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to our wonderful garden teacher, Norma Edwards who has been a delight to have in the pre-school and is loved by all the children. She has transformed our Pre-school garden into an area to relax, play and learn about their rural surroundings.

If you would like to chat about registering your child as a new starter, or about extending your existing hours please call Debra on 07966 61xxxx. We are currently operating a waiting list. Please call us or e-mail xxxx @ gmail.com for more details.

Kindest regards

Louise Sydney
Chair

There is no shortage of evidence to prove that there are a lot of very generous-hearted and public-spirited people in our village, and that we enjoy a vibrant community life as a direct result.

At the Annual Parish Meeting held by the Parish Council, we heard presentations from a number of organisations – from the Scouts to Junior Football, the Memory Group to CUGUC and others besides – all doing fabulous work, week in, week out. year in, year out.

At an event organised by CHADRA some time ago, the hall was chock-a-block with representatives of clubs and societies – all exchanging notes on their experiences. What a buzz of conversation there was that day!

The village hall and playing field is run by its management committee on our behalf. Stalwarts all.

CHADRA is full of reports about the activities in the village. The newsletter itself has a huge network of deliverers.

All these organisations are run by committees which have several members and their work is further supported by a network of helpers in each case.

Events organised by these energetic groups are attended by any number of villagers – be they fundraising events, or entertainments in their own right, be they village wide events such as the summer fayre, or just for members.

All in all, there must be a lot of us involved in and benefiting from these clubs, societies, and other organisations. This builds our sense of community and adds to the richness of our village life.

We encourage everyone to join in this grass roots DIY approach to improving our quality of life. The more we put in, the more we get out. The more who join in, the better it becomes. If you aren't already involved in any of the village organisations, do consider if there isn't one which suits your interests, and get involved. Most clubs would be thrilled if you would offer a little of your time. It isn't always about a fixed or heavy commitment; CUGUC would settle for an hour every now and again!

Equally, if you see a poster for an event – a play, a concert, a treasure hunt, a plant sale – do try to support it. Buy your tickets early, and you'll put a smile on the face of the panicking organiser!

The big secret is, by getting involved, you get so much in return. You get to know your fellow villagers, you are part of the warp and weft of village life. And if you help collate the newsletter, you get plenty of exercise, lots of laughs, and excellent tea and biscuits!

Go for it! What's to lose?

Julia O'Connor Beach

12

SEE THE FULL, COLOUR VERSION OF OUR NEWS ON OUR SCHOOL WEBSITE www.charfieldschool.org.uk

Welcome to our latest CHADRA update from Charfield School. In my last update to you I shared how well our school was performing nationally and locally. This continues to be the case with great attendance and pupil outcomes that will keep us amongst the top performing schools in the country. We will shortly receive our Y6 SAT results which we anticipate will once again be very strong. Whilst we still await our next formal OFSTED inspection, we have performed a trial inspection with registered inspectors and their findings were glowing about the school.

STAFF NEWS

Farewells
At the end of this year Mrs Southwell and Mrs Cornelius will be moving on to pastures new. Both teachers have provided many years of amazing service at Charfield and have been instrumental in making the school the success it now is. I wish them all the very best in their new ventures.

Welcome
I am also pleased to announce that Miss O'Sullivan will be joining us from September. Miss O'Sullivan will pick up the baton for Year 6.

SPORTY CHARFIELD

[Photo]

Charfield Boys receive Fair Play Award

Two Y6 boys, Jamie K. and Jack P. took part in an exciting Aussie rules tournament at Yate Academy after being identified as talented sportspeople. They played as part of the Castle group against KLB, Yate and Patchway. At the end of the tournament the team was awarded the fair play award. We are very proud of their achievements.

[Photo]

Sports Day
We were blessed with another fantastic day for this year's Sports Day. The day was extra special as so many people turned up to share in all the fun.

CHARFIELD SCHOOL IN THE COMMUNITY

Charfield Entrepreneurs
[Photo]
Freya B & Lauren J (Y4) would have made Alan Sugar proud during the Easter holidays … The girls made loom band and bead bracelets, fishtails, charms, necklaces and rings. They also made Easter Cards too! The money they raised was donated to the Nepal earthquake disaster fund.

Tom's Tuck – Y6 Fundraiser for Nepal Earthquake.
Our very caring Year 6's ran a Tuck-shop with all proceeds going to the DEC to support victims of the Nepal Earthquake. I cannot express how proud I am of these pupils. Well Done Tom W., Joe P., Emily C., Sam D., Mackenzie H., Matthew M., Morgan N., 13Rhiannon G. and Megan W. The team raised an impressive £202.84 on the day and have continued ‘mini-enterprises’ through the term to continually boost this amount. The Gazette also ran a story on the event.

Wrong Trousers Day @ Charfield
I was approached by girls from Year 4 who were very persuasive in their reasons why the school should support ‘Wrong Trousers Day’. I was very proud of their determination to help others and the organisation.

LEARNING AT CHARFIELD

The Big First Aid Lesson
On the 12th June every child took part in the National “BIG FIRST AID LESSON”, an online lesson run by St John's Ambulance. The lesson taught the children skills required to save a life

Science Focus Week
Science Week was astounding and was all down to the hard work of Mrs Morrissey, support from teachers and enrichment from Bristol University, Castle High School & KLB. The school was buzzing with visiting scientists, amazing investigations and a funny smell or two! The week started off with a bang (literally), which then led into a noisy mid-week experiment and ended with 186 more scientists in the world! Each class has a turn publishing some work to our weekly Newsletter.

Bumblebee Class (Y6)
Y6 have looked at how Romans used numerals instead of numbers Millie A. demonstrated her skills at using numerals.

Ladybird Class (Y4)
Year 4 had a fantastic trip to Waitrose in Chipping Sodbury to find out more about where our food comes from. They had great fun completing a food treasure hunt, trying new foods and touring the store, they even went in the freezer!

Dragonfly Class (Y5)
The Dragonflies have looked at the life and works of Roald Dahl. Part of their studies was to write a poem about ‘Augustus Gloop’ the incredibly greedy character from ‘Charlie & the Chocolate Factory’.

Beetle Class (Y3)
Beetle Class have read the superb story ‘Charlie & the Chocolate Factory’.

Grasshopper Class (Y2)
Grasshoppers have been investigating plants. They carried out three investigations to find out whether plants need leaves to grow well, whether the amount of water plants have affects how they grow, and how to prove that water is transported through the stem to the other parts of the plant.

Butterfly Class (Y1)
Year 1's work on Space had the children writing labels and captions for their report work on ‘The Sun, Moon and Earth’.

Caterpillar Class (YR)
[Photo]
Florence, Isla, Megan and Jessica have spent all week writing! They joined their sheets together and added to it every day until it was HUGE! They then wallpapered Mr Lawday's office with their great independent writing! He couldn't find his chair as there was so much!

FRIENDS OF CHARFIELD SCHOOL
Our school really gets fantastic support from our Friends. The events they put on enable the school to have some superb resources from playgrounds to IPads, wet weather gear to stages. Without their support the school would struggle financially! Please take the time to read the Friends CHADRA contribution.

Dafydd Lawday – Headteacher

14

[Graphic: Friends of Charfield Primary School]

Hello everyone, fingers crossed the weather continues and we are blessed with a fine summer this year. What an amazing May Fair we had at the playing fields this year! The organising committee can give themselves a huge pat on the back as the event was a huge success and it seemed the entire village visited at some point through the afternoon. Welly Wanging and face painting proved to be a huge success for us again and we had a steady flow of people at our stall. In all we managed to raise approximately £150 for the school which was great as there have been a number of funding requests given to us.

Charfest finally arrived on the 20th June. We had the usual showers whilst setting up but we were blessed with fine weather for the start of the event. Although there were a few challenges at the start with the inflatables blowing fuses in the Library and the ice cream van having technical issues with its compressor, the event kicked off nicely with ‘Exiled’ playing an amazing set of rock and acoustic music. ‘Fourth Engine’ were on next with a mixture of originals and covers covering many genres. ‘Ukulele Jam’ offered something more fun and light-hearted before the amazing GPS headlined for us this year. A massive thank you to all of the bands. They are all local and they give us their time and entertainment for free which is greatly appreciated by all the Friends and the School. We felt the event was a huge success and we hoped you enjoyed yourselves. Profits this year were slightly down due to costs being a little higher but the important thing is you had fun and the event had a great atmosphere once again which is all down to you attending and enjoying yourselves. We are planning something slightly different for next year which we hope will appeal to all ages. Keep your eyes peeled on our Facebook page for more details.

Thank you to everyone who helped out during and in the run up to the event. It is a tough one to organise but watching so many people attend and enjoy themselves is the reason why the event happens. The fact we make a little profit for the school also helps!

Talking of funds and requests from the school, there are a number of projects happening as we speak. The mixing desk and mics are being updated for the hall which will be a valuable addition to the school plays and activities that your children take part in. We are also updating the reception class outside play area with new gravel, a revamped sandpit, some Astro turf instead of grass, new storage units and a small roadway for the children to use whilst on the scooters. (We need labour to shift mud during the summer, so if you can spare a couple of hours at weekends please get in touch with me). Other projects we are hoping to fund include a vegetable patch for each class to grow their own veg and a series of enhancements to the forest area.

These projects can't be completed without your support and it makes the whole committee proud to see such a large number of parents, carers and residents really get behind the events we organise as without you, we couldn't help the school and the children – so thank you.

Our AGM will be held towards the end of September this year when the committee will be elected. Your support would be very welcome as we need to elect a Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary and Treasurer to enable us to continue with organising our community events and supporting the school in fund raising activities.

Things slow down a little now with the summer holidays approaching but we are starting to think about Fireworks night which this year is on Friday 6th November. Put the date in your diary!

In the meantime, another way that you can help The Friends is through Easy Fund Raising. It couldn't be simpler to get involved you just need to register using the following link: www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/friendsofcharfieldschool. There are over 2000 retailers listed including Amazon, John Lewis, M & S, etc. So the next time you are online please try 15it out. We have already managed to raise over £1,800 to date through this scheme!

If you are reading this and want to get involved in The Friends then it could not be easier. All you need to do is come along to the next committee meeting (drop me a text for the next meeting date). Or if you'd like to be involved but not as a committee member let me know and we can get in contact when we are organising rotas etc.

I look forward to keeping you informed of our future events. Until then, once again, a very big thank you to everyone who has worked with and supported the Friends.

Dave Ashby
Chair – The Friends of Charfield Primary School xxxx @ yahoo.co.uk
Tel: 07904 02xxxx

[Graphic: It's summer!]

With just two weeks left before the end of the school year, the Out of School Club is gearing up for a fun packed summer holiday, filled with interesting activities for the children to enjoy. The staff have all worked extremely hard planning the Summer Programme. Our theme will be “Fantasy” covering a different theme each week including pirates, aliens, monsters and mermaids. We will also be booking some special visitors to the club to organise sessions with the children.

If your child is interested in attending any of these sessions, please contact the club. Booking forms are now available but spaces are filling up fast as we do take children from several surrounding schools. Book early to avoid disappointment!

The club is still keen to recruit volunteers from the local area who would like to help in holiday times, either by showing the children a specific skill or hobby they enjoy or even if they just want to get involved with the activities already offered at the Out of School Club. We would love to hear from you. All volunteers would need to be aged 18+ and be prepared to undergo an enhanced DBS (previously CRB) check as is required for all individuals who work closely with children.

The club is also looking for an individual who lives locally who would be available for short notice cover for sickness of permanent staff. The ideal candidate will be available at short notice to cover a morning 7.30am–8.45am or afternoon session 3.15pm–6.00pm during term time as well as longer hours during school holidays when the rota/need arises. Qualifications are not essential but DBS (CRB) checks are essential. Full training will be provided. For further information, please contact Pat Loveridge on 07816 23xxxx, or send a CV and covering letter to Charfield Out Of School Club, Foundation Room, Wotton Road, Charfield, Gloucestershire GL12 8TG.

If you know of any new families who would like to use our service, both before and/or after school or during the school holidays, or, if you yourself would like to find out more, please contact us at the club. You can check us out by following the link from the school website: www.charfieldschool.org.uk. The club is open to children up to the age of 13, so even if your children are moving onto secondary school they are still welcome after school and in the holidays.

May we take this opportunity to wish everyone in the village a very happy and relaxing summer holiday, and say a huge thank you to everyone who continues to use the club, or who has supported us with our fundraising activities. Good luck to all our families with children who are moving on to other schools. We hope to see lots of new, as well as some familiar faces in the autumn. Finally, a big thank you is extended to the staff – Pat, Georgina, Jo, and Anne for continuing to make the club an outstanding facility for our village.

The Out of School Club Committee

16

[Graphic] Did you know we're in ‘ordinary time’ at the moment? Ordinary time denotes the periods of the year that fall outside Advent/Christmas and Lent/Easter/Pentecost. The altar and other decorations are green during this time. Ours are green with wonderful gold work depicting an eagle. The eagle in Christian imagery has a number of meanings. With a halo (as ours has) it symbolises St John the Evangelist and he is our patron. Because an eagle soars up high, it also represents the resurrection and ascension of Christ and also the soaring of souls that have been baptised.

Our spring events have gone well. Thanks to all, especially Allison, who made the March jumble sale its usual big success, raising over £900 this year. We had a very successful plant sale in May, which raised a record £960 for church funds and also a cream tea in June which raised £230. Our next big event is marking St James's Day in July with a special service at the old St James's Church up at Churchend. This will be on 26 July at 11.00 and people from all five parishes in our benefice will be invited to attend. Do come along and enjoy a service in this historic church – with amazing acoustics. This service will be a celebration of family, marriage and relationships, so why not come along as a whole family group?

The other main activity during the summer period is a cream tea in the church grounds on 8 August, 2.30–4.30pm and I'd also like to give you advance notice of the Christmas Fair which will be held on Friday 20 November at 6–9.30pm.

Benefice Services in August

Please note that during the holiday season in the first three weeks of August, service times and locations will not follow their usual pattern. The service on 2 August will be at 10.00 at Wickwar, on 9 August at 10.00 at Kingswood, on 16 August at 10.00 here at Charfield.

Charfield Change 4 Good
During the early summer we are continuing our support for the James Hopkins Trust, including an afternoon tea. Look out for information on that in church. We will then be supporting the charity shoe box collections run by the chapel and school. The chapel shoeboxes will be going to Romania and the school ones to a school in the Gambia. Why not help these two good causes by making up a shoebox or two? Deadlines are around mid-late October. Shoeboxes should be covered with wrapping paper and filled with items such as sweets (not chocolate), toiletries, stationery, hair bands etc. The school boxes are for children and should be labelled boy or girl and need £2 in an envelope at the top for the transport. They can be brought to school. The chapel ones can be for children or adults. Fuller details will be on posters.

And finally …

Don't forget we also have Traidcraft produce available, and books and jams for sale in church. The Reading Group also takes place monthly (contact Chris Mason on 01454 26xxxx for more details).

For details of regular services, see our ad in this issue. To contact the clergy, call Rev'd David Russell on 01454 29xxxx or Rev'd Chris Mason on 01454 26xxxx or email xxxx @ gmail.com.

Sue Thorn, PCC member
xxxx @ yahoo.co.uk

You are warmly invited to our services and events, please read on for further details.

Christmas Shoe Box Appeal 2015

Our Christmas Shoe Box Appeal is still an ongoing project. We have been busy filling wrapped shoe boxes for all ages over the last few months. This year, all our shoe boxes will be sent to Romania.

We support the charity, Blythswood Care, who combine the Christian message with practical help for those in need. Blythswood 17Care is involved in many projects, (this is just one of them. www.blythswood.org).

We fill our wrapped shoe boxes with items, such as, toothpaste, toothbrush, sponge, comb, soap, scarf, gloves / hat, sweets, colouring / writing book, pens / pencils, toys for a child, deodorant/hair gel for men, sewing kits / make-up for ladies. Christian literature is also put into each individual box. This shoe box will be the only gift many of them will receive all year. Our next meeting for filling shoe boxes will be on Wednesday 22nd July at 7.30pm, all are welcome to come along and help. If you would like to contribute in any way, either by helping fill the boxes when we meet, or by donating items, it would be greatly appreciated. Knitted hats, scarves and gloves are always very welcome.

Youth Café
Our Youth Café is open every Thursday evening, at Chapel, 7pm–9pm. Please pass these details on to any young person that may like to come along. We have a dedicated Facebook page, please ‘like’ us to receive our latest updates. We would love to know your ideas too so please get in touch.

www.facebook.com/CharfieldChapelYouthCafe

Senior Citizen's Harvest Lunch
(Give us a call to book your place).
Saturday 10th October at 12 noon – Ploughman's lunch, with mashed potato and apple crumble for dessert.

Numbers would be appreciated beforehand, please, for catering purposes. Please note this is a free lunch. However donations can be made to one of our chosen charities. Lifts can be provided for those who cannot make their own way. There will also be musical entertainment from God's Grampies.

Harvest
Our Harvest service is on Sunday 4th October at 11am. Linda and Alan Jenner will be leading the family service. All donations given on the day, of food and tins, will be given to the local Food Bank. [Graphic]

Coffee Mornings
(With bacon rolls and vegetarian option too)
[Graphic: Coffee cup] Saturday 11th July, 10am–12 noon. All proceeds will go to the charity C.R.Y. (Care and Relief for the Young). CRY is a Christian charity dedicated to caring for disadvantaged, destitute and suffering children, young people and their families.

Saturday 19th September 10am–12 noon. All proceeds will go to Macmillan Cancer. Macmillan are a source of support, helping with all the things that people affected by cancer want and need. It's not only patients who live with cancer, but they also help carers, families and communities.

Saturday 31st October, 10am–12 noon. All proceeds will go to Water Aid. Every minute, every day, people suffer and lives are lost needlessly because of a lack of safe water and sanitation.

Bible Study
We hold a bible study with short prayer time every Tuesday evening from 7.30pm. We discuss interesting topics and we are currently studying Genesis.

Sunday Services
Our services are held every Sunday at 11am with tea/ coffee and biscuits afterwards, where a friendly welcome awaits. We also have Sunday School ‘King's Kidz’, where all primary school-age children are most welcome. We also have a Teen Class (aged 13–17) which meets regularly on a Sunday Morning at the same time as Sunday School. The first Sunday of every month is our Family service, and the last Sunday of every month is our Communion service.

Chapel Contacts

For more information on any of the above, or to book your place on one of the Senior Citizen's lunches, please feel free to contact April Palmer on 01453 84xxxx, email xxxx @ hotmail.co.uk or call Nicola Lanyi on 01454 26xxxx.

18

[Graphic: CHARFIELD JUNIOR FOOTBALL CLUB]

Hello again from CJFC.

Since our last entry the season has now finished with all teams making good progress and each one finding winning ways. The U13 Blues finished extremely strongly winning the League and Cup Double remaining unbeaten in the League … Well done boys!

With the great weather we've had over the past couple of months both our camping evening and teas at the lake proved very popular, thank you to all involved.

With plenty of Sun, Fun and Football our first ever 6 a side tournament was a big success at the end of June with over 50 teams participating from U8s to U13s. A huge thank you to all those involved in organising and running what was a fantastic weekend, and to all the teams and players who took part with great spirit and enthusiasm.

Our attentions now begin to turn to next season when we'll be running teams at U9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and three teams at U14s across different leagues in both Bristol and Gloucester as well as continuing to run fun and engaging sessions for the U6s.

Training for the U6s, U9s and U10s continues over the summer on a Friday evening 1800–1900 at The Moreton Ground, Tortworth GL12 8HG (next to Tortworth School). So if you're interested in your child getting involved in football, please feel free to come along or contact the number below, while the older boys take a well-deserved break for a few weeks looking to be fresh for the new season.

We currently require players at U10s, 11s, 12s and 14s, but welcome players at all ages, so if you would like your child to play, would like to volunteer in any capacity or would like further information on the club in general then please contact me on 07580 15xxxx or email xxxx @ outlook.com.

Thank you for your time.

Andy Leeds
Club Secretary/U10s Coach

Girlguiding Wotton District hosted Girlguiding Gloucestershire West Division's AGM in Charfield on 20th May. We were very lucky to be able to use Charfield Congregational Church for the event. It was a perfect venue. The evening started with tea and homemade cakes. Wotton Leaders did us proud – there was an amazing array of cakes! We then had an interesting talk by Katie Elliot about the Wotton Project, and then it was the business meeting. Michele Everett, the retiring Division Commissioner, was presented with a County Award in recognition of a great many years of dedicated service to the organisation; and Dani Bindon was presented with a 5 year service brooch in recognition of the time she has spent running Charfield Rainbows.

We are very lucky to have a dedicated group of ladies who run all the units in our area but we do need more. Charfield Brownies closed at Christmas. We hoped this closure would be temporary but we are yet to find new leaders. If you are female and 18 or over why not come and join us and help the girls of Charfield to develop in a safe environment as well as having fun yourself? No previous experience is necessary as we have a training programme and a mentoring scheme. If you are interested in finding out more please contact one of us – see the back page of the newsletter for contact details – or register on the Girlguiding website www.girlguiding.org.uk

Please help us to re-open 2nd Charfield Brownies – a village the size of Charfield needs a Brownie Pack.

191st Charfield Rainbows

This term our theme has been ‘Girls Can’. We have camped, gardened (we planted some marigolds in the border of the Hall Car Park, and some have survived), played sport, explored, and played with bugs. [Graphic: Flower]

We would like to give a huge THANKS to Margaret Gargett, who has very kindly donated £150 from her tuck shop at Hanson. We will spend this on new equipment for the unit especially some decent colouring and drawing materials.

There are a couple of spaces for September so get your name in quickly. Rainbows is part of the ‘Girl Guide Association’ and is for girls aged 5 to 7 years. If you have a little girl or know of one who might be interested in joining 1st Charfield Rainbows in the future, please send an email to xxxx @ yahoo.co.uk so their names can be added to the waiting list.

Ruby, Topaz, Sapphire and Moonstone

2nd Wotton (Charfield) Guides

Thursdays 7.30pm–9pm at Charfield Memorial Hall (Summer Term) for girls 10–14 years old. This term we have been eating, drinking and having fun!

[Graphic: Cocktail] We had a cooking evening – some of the food combinations were very interesting such as an evening of making Mocktails, and a visit to Tesco to learn about ‘Farm to Fork’. We still have a visit to South Cerney for a water adventure evening to come.

Over the summer we are busy fundraising for our PGL trip and hopefully a BIG trip next year with the Senior Section. Look out for more information in the next issue of CHADRA for our November and December fundraising events.

We are currently looking for stall holders for our shopping evening fundraiser on 17th December. If you or anyone you know would like to have a craft stall, please get in touch.

We are always looking for leaders to help plan and supervise our fun and games, please get in touch if you think you would like to get involved!

Please contact xxxx @ hotmail.com

Senior Section

The First Wotton Senior Section opened in September 2014. We are a group of around 11 girls aged 14–25 years old who meet every other week. We make crafts, eat food, drink hot chocolate and watch movies. We are hoping to complete our Silver Duke Of Edinburgh Award in 2015. We have lots of exciting trips and camps planned. Most of all we enjoy a giggle!

Want to join us? Contact Lynsey xxxx @ yahoo.com.

If you would like your daughter to join Girlguiding UK please contact the relevant leader, or visit:

http://www.girlguiding.org.uk/get_involved/volunteer/register_your_interest.aspx

[Graphic: Girlguiding UK girls in the lead]

20

Wow! Firstly, it doesn't seem right looking at July on the calendar and that is not my excuse for waiting for Independence Day to do ‘my bit.’ Whether it was seeing me spread over the well and front seat of his Landrover, (shrieking with laughter, and not being able to hoist the rest of me into the vehicle, and no he didn't come round and give me a shove), Keith decided to sell it. Now the amazing thing is the buyer came from Croydon and now lives in the road Keith did as a teenager and went to the same secondary school.

Keith then purchased a Renault make from a place south of Shaftesbury called Tollard Royal, just along from Compton Abbas. We were winding along narrow country lanes passing amazing old buildings when suddenly in front of us dipping down was a village pond, behind which was a thatched cottage covered in roses. The whole place was absolutely beautiful. There were no house numbers, only names. We asked a passing couple who directed us. “It's the dark orange one at the end,” the chap said. Suddenly there we were. The girl was selling the car for her Mum. She was called Crystal, had moved from Milton Keynes 8 years previously and her chap arrived on a fearsome looking motor bike. He'd moved down from North London. I didn't get to ask how they'd met. We went in to sign the paperwork. It was just my sort of home. Cosy rooms, books everywhere and guitars and various instruments adorned the walls. Not that I play instruments but it just looked great.

Then, the following week Keith purchased a trailer from a gentleman in Knowle, Bristol. He was in his front garden weeding. Keith was dealing with his son. We started chatting about keeping the slugs off his beautiful plants, particularly the hostas. He was telling me about his hanging baskets and that he doesn't keep them at the front because ‘certain’ people drive past and take them. Next thing I'm in his back garden looking at his wonderful array of shrubs and fruit trees. What a character. He was late 70s and ran a club Tuesday evenings for people who had learning issues, aged from late teens up to his age. He and his wife had recently lost a daughter in her fifties and she had struggled with such troubles. Then he went on to say that some evenings the local police would call saying that they had one of his folks, misbehaving. “I have to help them,” he said, “they’ve got no-one else.” With great pride, he went on to say that he was set up to go on to ‘Surprise, Surprise’, being commended for his years of caring and then he was invited to meet the Queen and have tea with her and several members of the Royal family at Buckingham Palace. With pride he showed me photos the palace photographer had sent him. We hugged as we left with me saying to this lovely gentleman that if my Keith hadn't bought his trailer I would never had met this remarkable chap.

So what I'm really saying is that, wow, when ordinary things happen, they can turn into exciting extraordinary moments. I'll sign off now by thanking those of you who have asked after my dear Mum. Yes, she had her procedure and can now face the public again, aged 92 and still doing the art class. [Graphic: Have a Nice Day]

Best wishes to you all, love Maz

On Friday 22 May, Charfield Memorial Hall was fortunate enough to host another very funny performance by the Ministry of Entertainment – “Normal Service will be resumed”. At the height of the Cuban Missile crisis, the BBC is testing out a secret studio in Bristol – or is it? Kate McNab was brilliant as Skippy Catford, cleaner turned radio performer helping Ross Harvey as Stanton Drew, her hero and the voice of wartime Britain, keeping the BBC on air, and the fate of the nation's morale is in their hands.

Fantastic singing and hilarious facial expressions, the repartee between Skippy and Stanton had the audience in stitches as they performed a Welsh version of ‘The Archers.’ It was another fantastic evening of comedy theatre at the village hall. We are very lucky to have such quality productions on our doorstep.

Many thanks to all involved.

Deb Field

21

[Graphic: Drama masks]

Firstly can I say on behalf of CADS how sorry we are to have had to cancel Fawlty Towers at the eleventh hour. It will return as I was really getting into the role of Basil as were the rest of my amazing cast. But anyway that's show business and as they say the show must go on and it is Friday 25th and Saturday 26th of September live in the village hall @ 7.30 pm that CADS will bring you The Three Musketeers! Not a pantomime, but a feel good show for all the family. Tickets will be on sale in Steve's shop from 1st September priced at £5 each.

As I sit here and write this on what must be one of the hottest days of the year so far, it seems strange to write about our next pantomime in the spring of 2016 but the reality is, if we don't start planning now there is a real chance it won't happen and that would be a real loss for the village.

I started the group back in 2011 with no money, no idea what I was doing but with a great idea. It was one of the best things I have ever done and anyone reading this who has supported us will I am sure agree. CADS isn't just about acting on the stage it's about lights, music, sound, costumes, tea and coffee, cake, set painting, programme printing and so much more. But most importantly it's about being part of something great and having fun with it.

When we performed ‘You Know What’ back in 2011, it was the first time a village am-dram group had performed in that hall in over 30 years. I don't want that to be the case again, so I am calling on all those reading this who have ever thought about joining CADS but felt it wasn't the right time to contact me, this IS now the time – the last time. Or, if you know someone who might be interested, please pass on this publication. Don't let the next ‘News from Back Stage’ be my last.

Steve Picking Tel: 0798434xxxx
xxxx @ googlemail.com

Firstly, thank you to everyone who supported us at the Charfield Community Fete, where the weather certainly held up for us! Ruth & Team did a sterling job of organising everybody and it was lovely to see so many faces from the village. Our little ‘Guess the number of Jellybeans in the jar’ was a lot of fun, and raised £67 to support our monthly memory group! [Graphic: Jar of jellybeans]

For those of you who are not familiar with the group, we offer friendship and support to people living in Charfield and the surrounding towns/villages, particularly for those who are living with, or caring for someone with memory problems.

We welcome people of all ages, and as well as offering support to one another, we also welcome visitors who may have information on local services and support, or even a skill or hobby that might be of interest to the group.

Our group is friendly, and informal, and currently there is no charge to attend. We meet for an hour, on the 3rd Wednesday of every month at The Plough Inn, Charfield, from 10am. [Graphic: Smiley face]

For further information please contact Amanda on 07814 69xxxx or email xxxx @ hotmail.co.uk

[Graphic: YOU'RE WELCOME A safe and friendly community]

“Working together to build a dementia friendly community”

22

Can you help find it?

Back of cover page (Page 1) of issue 48 (July 1987)

I have been making the archive CHADRA newsletters available on the web

(see charfield.org/chadra).

The project is 40% complete, but I have discovered a problem.

I have just started on issue number 48 of July 1987 and discovered that the back of the front page is blank! This should contain the article from the Parish Council.

Does anyone have a copy of this Newsletter? I would like to make a copy for the archive, and the Web.

Brendan O'Connor
(01454) 26xxxx

The CHADRA committee bids a fond farewell to Vanessa Cole who has done such an amazing job looking after all our advertisers. On behalf of the committee, I'd like to thank Vanessa for her valuable contribution over the years.

We welcome Alison Howard as our new committee member in charge of CHADRA newsletter advertising and she can be contacted at xxxx @ gmail.com

CHADRA is run by a small group of volunteers and supported by a dedicated band of distributors in the village.

If you'd like to get involved in any way, please contact me for more information out how you can help.

Alison White, CHADRA Editor
xxxx @ gmail.com

The chart on the inside back page of the newsletter shows the range of regular activities available at the Hall, the Sports Lounge/Changing Rooms or on the Playing Field.

If you would like to have a slot on any of these pleases contact the Bookings Secretary on 07530 31xxxx or email xxxx @ charfield.org

All group activities need to be booked.

Brownies are still looking for new leaders so that the group can resume and a couple of our evening slots will become available shortly, so please get in touch if you would like to run your group activity in one of our spaces.

The hall and lounge are also available for private parties, wakes, fundraising events, shows, exhibitions etc.

Please support your local community facility by using The Memorial Hall for your function.

Sue Simmons
Bookings Secretary

#

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[Advert for At Home Curtains & Blinds]

[Advert for Cotswold Edge Carpets]

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[Advert for The Edge Health & Beauty]

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[Advert for Bradley Garage]

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Cut out this page and pin it to your notice board.

ACTIVITIES AT CHARFIELD MEMORIAL HALL

There are 3 sections to CMH – the Main Hall (M), the Sportsman's Lounge (S) and the Playing Field (F)

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY …

July

22th – Congregational Church Shoe Box Appeal – fill up
26th – St James Day Service in historic St James Church

August

8th – St John's Church Cream tea 2.30–4.30pm

September

19th – Congregational Church coffee morning in aid of Macmillan Cancer
25th & 26th – CADS presents ‘The Three Musketeers’, 7.30 pm Memorial Hall

October

4th – Congregational Church Senior Citizen Harvest Lunch 11am
31st – Congregational Church coffee morning Water Aid fundraiser 10am–12 noon

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If you wish to alter the entries below email xxxx @ gmail.com

British Legion
Chris Summers (Hon Sec) 01454 26xxxx

CADS (Charfield Amateur Dramatics Group)
Steve Picking 07583 56xxxx

Charfield Pre-School
Debra Davidson (Manager/Admissions) 07966 61xxxx
Email:- xxxx @ gmail.com
Louise Sydney xxxx @ gmail.com

Charfield Primary School
Dafydd Lawday 01454 26xxxx

Church – Congregational
Nicky Lanyi 01454 26xxxx

Church – St. John's
Rev Chris Mason 01454 26xxxx
Rev David Russell 01454 29xxxx
Email xxxx @ gmail.com

Clean Up Green Up Charfield
Vanessa Cole
Email xxxx @ gmail.com

Community Dementia Link
Amanda Pearson 07814 69xxxx
https://www.facebook.com/charfieldanddistrictcommunitydementialinks

Council – Charfield Parish
Hannah C Saunders (Clerk) 01454 32xxxx
Parish Council, PO Box 1947, Bristol. BS37 0BU
Email clerk @ charfieldparishcouncil.co.uk

Council – South Gloucestershire
John O'Neill 01454 86xxxx or 01454 26xxxx
Email xxxx @ southglos.gov.uk

Cricket Club
Jeremy Hull 01453 52xxxx
Tony Field 01454 26xxxx

Crimestoppers 0800 555 111

Friends of Charfield Primary School
Dave Ashby (Chair) 07904 02xxxx
Email xxxx @ yahoo.co.uk

Foundation Room
Bryan Grantham 01454 26xxxx

Junior Football Club
Andy Leeds 075801xxxx

Keep Fit Club
Christine Parfitt 01454 26xxxx

Luncheon Club for the Elderly
Jane Higgins 01454 26xxxx

Memorial Hall
Bookings 07774 41xxxx
Email xxxx @ gmail.com
Chairman Liam Balloch 07947 43xxxx